My mother loves babies. When my babies came along my Mom would come to visit "just because". I loved to see the smile on her face when they would crawl or toddle their way to her. She would scoop them up in her arms and then began to study them. She has a second sense when it comes to babies. She's raised 13 of her own, has twenty something grandchildren and great grandchildren (I'm too busy to recount them at this moment!) When she would hold my babies she would start telling me things that they were thinking at the time that even I as their faithful dedicated mother couldn't see! While they were so small Mom would say, "Enjoy them while they're little 'cause they'll grow up fast." Okay, Mom, I know you're so right. I would always try to keep that thought in my head even though there were times my little ones would frustrate me to no end and then other times when they would say and do lots of cute innocent things. Raising three little boys (eighteen months apart) and then my baby girl was a season of my life as a mother would someday come to an end. Mom wanted me to be aware that the sweet innocent days of raising babies, after all would be a temporary assignment.
Summary Sentence: The world is not my home.
On Day 6 in the Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren helps us to keep in mind the perspective that our life on earth is just a temporary assignment. According to the scope of infinite eternity, this life is like a single drop of water in a gallon bucket filled to the rim. I love the description of life that a man named James wrote in the New Testament of the Bible. This is what it says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."*
In fact, God doesn't want us to get overly attached to the enjoyments of this life that's why he allows there to be discontentment and dissatisfaction. We have desires that struggles would quit coming our way. The author tells us these longings will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity.
Those that are preparing for heaven have the best perspective of how to live. They know that they will receive promised rewards from God (God never lies) after they die if they strive to do their best for Him.
When you think about your life you must ask yourself, "In my life do I place more importance on things that really are just temporary or do I have the goal of eternity in mind (heaven) and focus on that.
Mom was right, my babies did grow. In fact, they've all grown into regular size kids now. My temporary assignment of raising my babies is but a memory. Did I do it right? For the most part I think so.
*James 4:14, King James Version
Posted by Linda at February 19, 2005 12:16 PM